5 ms·

This is wonderful to hear! I’m transgender, polyamorous, and on PrEP. Often trans people didn’t get to have the sex they really wanted for a long time, and afte

This is wonderful to hear! I’m transgender, polyamorous, and on PrEP. Often trans people didn’t get to have the sex they really wanted for a long time, and after coming out there is this sense of liberation and joy along with a new found appreciation for sex. I’ve heard it said that “sex is an adult form of play” and that’s how I see it. It’s extremely fun to get together with another consenting adult and explore what feels nice together. PrEP has already been a game changer for our sense of safety and possibility. It’s always reassuring when you meet someone, find mutual interest, and then when discussing safety you find you’re both on PrEP and get regularly tested. I’ve never had this experience before as for a long time I dated in serial monogamy and had one new partner every three or four years. With an expansion of sexual partnership opportunities I’m learning so much about the myriad ways I enjoy relating to others, and finding so much fulfillment in this part of my life. These medications are truly wonderful. We owe so much to those who came before us and lived their truths despite the risks, blazed the trail for people like myself and our community today, and lost their lives or loved ones as a result. We should never forget the fight it took to gain this recognition, or the people who resisted our right to freedom along the way. I want to say also that I recognize this trial was largely among presumably heterosexual people in an HIV stricken region, but my experience is in the gay and trans community in the USA and I wanted to share a personal story of the value these drugs have had for us. My story will no doubt attract some weird comments, but I hope we all recognize the value of consenting adults making their own choices. We all deserve to find our joy, and I suspect most of us recognize the value of sex and pleasure in some form or another. I hope my story provides some insight in to what drugs like this can mean to communities around the world. Love to all people. <3 Edit: By the way here’s some book recommendations on polyamory. You too can find this joy if you’re in the right community and you develop the skills to handle things with maturity and respect, while identifying others who have done the same work. It’s been a ten year journey for me, but it has been well worth it. Books: “More Than Two, 2nd edition” (2nd edition is in preprint but recommended over the first) “Polysecure”, “Polywise”. Good luck exploring! Oh and finding a supporting therapist made all the difference for me in this journey too. That one is harder but see the directory on the Psychology Today website and take advantage of their filters.

jbgt 2y ago
Well I hope this isn't a weird comment: thanks for expressing your views so clearly and positively. It opened my eyes to an aspect of genuine and human exploration of newfound freedom and caring.
- TaylorAlexander 2y ago
  Thank you! I’m so happy it was enlightening. It’s a space we don’t often discuss and I think these stories need to be told. We all deserve the sense of joy that can be found in the exploration of our bodies and others.
atlas_hugged 2y ago
Thank you for sharing. I know hostility toward the queer community still exists and admire your ability to dismiss the hatred as “weird comments.” It takes a steely resolve to develop that kind of resilience. As an older straight male, I grew up when it was still commonplace to be openly hateful toward your community and it’s taken decades for me to unlearn that hatred I learned as a child, but the effort has been worth it, so I thank you for your effort to educate me, as I still have a lot to learn from your community.
4gotunameagain 2y ago
How did PrEP change the ways you can have sex ? In my world, sex without a condom with people you do not know and trust is asinine. And as I understand it from my interaction with gay people, it is not that they take PrEP to reduce the non zero chances of contracting HIV while having protected sex, but it is to be able to have unprotected sex while completely disregarding other STIs.
- est31 2y ago
  You are right in the sense that there is groups among the MSM community who feel emboldened by PrEP to have unprotected promiscuous sex. I've ran across this mindset myself. It's a free world but the mindset is short sighted: there is many other diseases who spread more freely thanks to the carelessness instilled by PrEP. I agree that PrEP should mainly be seen as a means of derisking the worst case scenario of what happens when a condom breaks, falls off, etc. It's an amazing gift in the fight against HIV, but only for HIV, not the other diseases. I wouldn't say this mindset is present in all gay people though, one should differentiate. Many gay people I talk to are very aware of the distinction.

jbgt 2y ago

Well I hope this isn't a weird comment: thanks for expressing your views so clearly and positively. It opened my eyes to an aspect of genuine and human exploration of newfound freedom and caring.

TaylorAlexander 2y ago
Thank you! I’m so happy it was enlightening. It’s a space we don’t often discuss and I think these stories need to be told. We all deserve the sense of joy that can be found in the exploration of our bodies and others.

atlas_hugged 2y ago

Thank you for sharing. I know hostility toward the queer community still exists and admire your ability to dismiss the hatred as “weird comments.” It takes a steely resolve to develop that kind of resilience. As an older straight male, I grew up when it was still commonplace to be openly hateful toward your community and it’s taken decades for me to unlearn that hatred I learned as a child, but the effort has been worth it, so I thank you for your effort to educate me, as I still have a lot to learn from your community.

4gotunameagain 2y ago

How did PrEP change the ways you can have sex ? In my world, sex without a condom with people you do not know and trust is asinine. And as I understand it from my interaction with gay people, it is not that they take PrEP to reduce the non zero chances of contracting HIV while having protected sex, but it is to be able to have unprotected sex while completely disregarding other STIs.

est31 2y ago
You are right in the sense that there is groups among the MSM community who feel emboldened by PrEP to have unprotected promiscuous sex. I've ran across this mindset myself. It's a free world but the mindset is short sighted: there is many other diseases who spread more freely thanks to the carelessness instilled by PrEP. I agree that PrEP should mainly be seen as a means of derisking the worst case scenario of what happens when a condom breaks, falls off, etc. It's an amazing gift in the fight against HIV, but only for HIV, not the other diseases. I wouldn't say this mindset is present in all gay people though, one should differentiate. Many gay people I talk to are very aware of the distinction.